Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1887-06-04
THE MODERN NARCISSuS.

old neurological legend Of NarcisRus, the
beautiful son OF Csphisus and the uymPh
Iiriope who fell msdly In love with hts
image reflected In the brook. and wasted
away with unsatisied longing while gazing
at himself thus mirrored In the waters Of
the impid stream. Amusing aud ridiculous
ss this legend may seem, II has often occurred
to me that Narcissus IL really more OF an &C.
tuality OF the present than myth Of ancient |
Greece Now 1 dare say, there are many l
young men (and young women especially
of to-day who are quite conceited enough to
fall In love with themselves, and It would |
not require an undue stretch of the imsSi-
nation to picture these ''poor fools Of nature
following the absurd precedent OF
"Sarcissus who himself, himself forsook,
And died to kiss his shadow in the brook y
But this Is neither here nor there with |
what wish TO illustrate. What am referring |
to Is the great and growing tendency of our |
young people-in fact all classes OF individ.
uals. but the young especis'ly-to allow |
their nobler em,tions and aspirations (the
divine) to become dwarfed aud blighted by
the unrestrained predomtusnce OF their baser
passions, propeusities aud desires. In other
words, to allow the soul (ths selD to pine
away, while it gaz ~, 80 to speak. with a false
admiration upon the outer msn ~ he is re-
fected in the illusive and flsttering mirrors
Of the fashions, gsities, and pleasures OF this
mundane existence.
How many OF us, for instance, prefer to
utilize our leisure moments in improving the
mind 10y study, observation aud thought
rather than wasting then in the mere graft.
| hcation of the feelings, inclinat,ous and de-
| sires OF the animal nature7 Are the hours
| we spend IN the pool room, bser saloon, ball
room, theatre and other similar places OF di.
version and amusement counter balanced
L k,x-s
| communion with nature? Do We take rs
much care to clothe the mind ~ attrsctively
| ~ We do the body? 81 do not doubt, "
| says Ruskin "but that the mind is q less
| pleasant thing TO look at than the face, and
| tor that very reason 1t needs more looking at
| 50 always have two mirrors on your toilet
table, aud see that with proper care you dress
body and mind before them daily. But
few OF us there are, indeed, who take The
| trou ble to make the mind as presentaole as
| the body. No; We are too much euamor ed
| of our worthless Insignificant bodies to give
| one thought TO the welfare OF our souls. 1t is
| the old story of Narci-sus piuipg away while
dmiring his insgs reflected in the brook.
The great difficulty lies in the tact that the
| maj ority OF Us have no aim or object in lite.
| Human nature II lett to itself will invariably
| develop the animal tendencies There must
| be something 20 raise us out of the dust aud
mire OF the earth-somsthing for us to reach
out aiter-some ideai goal to strive for to en-.
| able the divine in us to preponderste. The
| longer l live" says Goethe, 'the more certain
| am that the great difference between men,
| the great and the insignificant Is energy, in
. | yincibie determination, an honest purpose
/ once tixed-and then victory. That quality
| will do anything that can be done in the
| world aud no talents, no circumstances, nc
, | opportunities will make q two-legged crea
J ture man without it. Does not history
| furnish US with iuuumerable witnesses to this
D / trnth-ilAt in yinciDiH Natar alton. and
| houest purpose will omplish any thins
9 | that can be done in the world But we neec
$ not deive in the musty records OF past age.
g | and summon up the hgure-heads OF history
4 and the mighty seniuses that have lived aud
u | died to prove the point in question. Gu
u | own age aud country, yea our own city, viii
. furnish US with living aud eloquent Wit
u | nssses to the truth that the great secret c
10 | succsss-rcdt success--in life Is /" an hons.
ID purpose once dxed-and then victory" DO
" | not know, do you not know Of some sue
OF witnesses? Is there not among our acquail
rs tancss such an one to whom we look u
be with awe, reverence aud admiration
us who Is all that is grand and noble
IT. learned, so wise and everything that Is go'
BIT | the "elements so mixed in him." tn
cd nature points TO him with pride, "and ss
zee to all the word, 'this Is man +" What is
~, that has lifted hun head and shoulders abo'
sy us, made his life grand success, al
I'm stamped upon every feature the Impress
the perfect man? An honest purpose in Ii
backed by an invincible determination
succeed, Is the quality that has enabled
nooler aspirations aud emotIons-the divil
bs in him-tO preponderate, which has he
within bounds the animal nature, lifted hi
out OF the mire OF earth, and placed hi
| upon the pedestal OF success-a perfect ms
'as a living monument to the glory of his &c
lis | and the honor of his fellow men.
en- / As long as we live tor nothing and care I,
Tx | nothing but the pleasures, fashions &C
81, | gaieties of the world, so long will 1t be III
~ possible for US to achieve anything that wi
Il nok "a vii I IT M sxuis
IL however, to decry the amusements au
he eDjo ments OF the world. Life Is gloom
u, and dreary enough, to the most OF us. wit
N, | out depriyiny 1t of these GASES in its desc
,;s waste. l do not, like some fanatics desi
" to see our saloons closed, our theatres turne
~ into churches our Terpsichorean hal
ne deserted, and other 50 called "iniluitol
Ia. | places" barred and shut up. But the plea
set | ures We derive from these sources should n
an be allowed to outweigh those delights an
ne | Ell njnymsnts We may derive from our
ss. oraries and in the pursuit OF more edify
,er | diversions: nor will they, il We six OF
a affections on things abovs"--if We keep ev
before us the thought that We are born for
of | higher destiny than that of earth, and ev
re- strive 10 attain unto the fuiness OF the statu
ms | OF the perfect man.
,a do not, therefore, consider the strnge
not announcement of all worldly pleasures q
All sentiAl TO the conditions OF q goily, ussfu
&c. snd successful life. the old adage, 80
cn | work and no play makes j Jack q dun boy
H. peculiarly strong aud significant force +
ar | the young man who adhsres too closely /, b
ok books, concentrates all his energies into Il
ar channels OF sell culture, and religious schoC
hs / ing, and cOnscsn ntiOusly avoids all world
A, | diversions and eschews every form OF CO
ns | viviSi enIoyments, Is bound TO develop mo
tie | eccentric idiosyncrasies /: and do not kno
,ly but that such an one Is jlst rs worthy OF pi
h. | a. he who is the slave of his unbridled pa
N. | sions. Nevertheless, there are those wi
n | Will tell us that the theatre and the danci II
,re | rooms are the DEVILS houses, and the salOt
the steep incline to hell. Such people wOu
sy mark out 4 path tor us, aud tell US that unle
ID, | We strictly observe all the prescribed Torn
ler | OF Religion, aud scrupulousiy renounce
nd | kinds of worldly pleasures, our lives VI
nd | prove u failure, and We will be sure
ad | damned. They would coop up In the
LIIl | little, narrow pen OF conservative views, o
as | fogy ideas, and absurd notions, aud have
re | see things only rs they see them, think
he things ouly az they think OF them, and
by things only as they do them ana they no
,re | up their hands and roll their eyes with no
"A, / horror II We dare to differ one iots from the
bs | in these non. essentials. They either torg,
rn | or are not aware that mere rltuslism and d
Of announcement of all so called " "qusstionat
wa anusements" constitute by no means h
ul- | principal rounds In the ladder on which
climb to heaven. To such people l wou
ed | respectfully recommend tor their earnest al
ev thoughtful meditation the following beau